1. The State of Texas Higher Education
Raymund A. Paredes, Ph.D.
Texas Commissioner of Higher Education

2. Closing the Gaps Achievements
Participation Goal
Statewide enrollment increased by 605,114 from fall 2000 to fall 2015; 96% of the 630,000 target.
Success Goal
Texas surpassed its success goal by approximately 50,000 credentials (or 23%), awarding a total of 258,795 undergraduate degrees and certificates in 2015.
Hispanic students earned 87,821 awards in FY 2015: 31% above the target of 67,000 awards in that year and a fourfold increase from FY 2000.
60x30TX builds on the success of the Closing the Gaps by 2015 strategic plan.

3. Closing the Gaps Achievements
Research Goal
 Expenditures for research and development at Texas public universities and health-related institutions reached $4.06 billion, $1.06 billion above the 2015 target of $3 billion.
Excellence Goal
UT-Austin and Texas A&M ranked among Top 30 National Public Universities by U.S News and World Report.
Eight Texas universities classified “Carnegie Tier One.”
Odessa College and San Jacinto College currently finalists for the 2017 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.
60x30TX builds on the success of the Closing the Gaps by 2015 strategic plan.

4. Texas needs to improve college readiness for all levels of postsecondary education
- TSIA % met the college-readiness standard in all three areas
- SAT 32% met the college-readiness standard in all areas
- ACT 26% met the college-readiness standard in all areas (dropped 1 percentage point from 2015)
- College readiness for African Americans is 8% and 12% for Latinos

5. Enrollment in any state Enrollment in home state
Estimated rate of recent high school graduates enrolling in higher education
State
Enrollment in any state
Enrollment in home state
California
58.5%
51.2%
Texas
57.7%
51.1%
New York
70.0%
56.4%
Florida
62.8%
55.4%
Illinois
60.2%
41.4%
Nationwide
61.7%
50.0%
Data shows estimated rate of high school graduates attending degree granting postsecondary institutions in 2012
See following slides for breakdowns.
Source: National Center for Educational Statistics

6. Higher Education Attainment
Texas is losing ground nationally

7. Completion Rates: Public Universities
60x30TX builds on the success of the Closing the Gaps by 2015 strategic plan.

8. Completion Rates: Public Two-Year Colleges
60x30TX builds on the success of the Closing the Gaps by 2015 strategic plan.

9. Eighth Grade Cohort Educational Outcomes
20 of 100
Texas 8th Graders complete a postsecondary credential within 11 years
14 of 100
Hispanic 8th Graders complete a postsecondary credential
13 of 100
African American 8th Graders complete a postsecondary credential
11 of 100
Economically disadvantaged 8th Graders complete a postsecondary credential
Source: 2016 Texas Higher Education Almanac
60x30TX builds on the success of the Closing the Gaps by 2015 strategic plan.

10. 60x30TX Includes Four Student-Centered Goals

11. America’s Divided Recovery: College Haves and Have-Nots
Job growth by education level
Out of the 11.6 million jobs created in the post- recession economy, 11.5 million went to workers with at least some college education.
Graduate degree holders gained 3.8 million jobs, bachelor's degree holders gained 4.6 million jobs, and associate degree holders gained 3.1 million.*
Employment of workers with a high school diploma or less only grew by 80,000 jobs.
* No national data exists for certificate holders.

12. America’s Divided Recovery: College Haves and Have-Nots
Job change by occupation:
Management added the largest number of jobs of any occupation during the recovery (1.6 million).
Healthcare professional and technical occupations added the second most jobs (1.5 million).

13. Tri-Agency Education & Workforce Charges
1. Commissioners should identify and advance public and higher education initiatives that make college more affordable for families and help students enter the workforce more quickly with marketable skills.
2. Commissioners should work with industry and local stakeholders to assess local workforce needs and identify innovative workforce development models that directly coordinate with industry partners and promote postsecondary success. The Commissioners should include career and technical education (CTE) and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education models in their assessment.
3. Commissioners should evaluate current agency efforts, as well as state and local web-based education and career awareness systems in an effort to better link students, parents, and educators to the broad array of high-demand jobs in this state and the educational requirements to secure those opportunities.

14. Tri-Agency Education & Workforce Charges
4. Commissioners should identify gaps in services to Texas veterans, advance strategies to enhance their education and employment opportunities, and develop solutions to ensure a seamless and accelerated transition back into the Texas workforce.
5. Commissioners should make recommendations that build the skills of the Texas workforce and advance regional economic expansion, job creation, and the goals of 60x30TX.

15. Tri-Agency Report to Gov. Greg Abbott
Four Prime Recommendations
1. Identify statewide initiatives for the next generation that will make Texas the clear leader in targeted fields and position the state for future economic pre-eminence.
2. Strengthen prekindergarten through high school academic instruction to establish students’ foundational skills in math, science, language arts, and social studies so that students graduate career and college ready and are prepared for lifetime learning.

16. Tri-Agency Report to Gov. Greg Abbott
Prime recommendations
3. Build a proactive, ongoing partnership among the TEA, THECB, TWC and other stakeholders to align the educational goals of Texas with the state’s higher education plan of 60x30TX, which aims for 60 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds to hold either a certificate or degree by 2030, with the goal of growing the state’s workforce, industry, and the economy.
4. Identify services for Texas veterans and advance strategies to enhance their education and employment opportunities, and develop solutions to ensure a seamless and accelerated transition back into the Texas workforce.

17. Recommendations to Improve Texas Higher Education and Achieve 60x30TX
1. Fix developmental education
a. Combine reading and writing
b. Use co-requisite approaches
c. Supplemental instruction
2. Facilitate transfer process
a. Fields of study
b. Regional articulation
c. 2+2 initiatives

18. Recommendations, cont. a. Accelerate time to degree
3. Reinvent financial aid
a. Accelerate time to degree
b. Paid internships
c. Corporate-sponsored work study

19. Recommendations, cont. a. Expand dual credit carefully
4. Innovations in affordability
a. Expand dual credit carefully
b. 30 hours/year
c. Reduce excess attempted hours
d. Expand competency-based education and Texas Affordable Baccalaureate initiative
e. Remember cost-efficiency report (2010)
5. Prioritize teacher training programs and expand teacher professional development efforts

20. Recommendations, cont. a. P-16 councils
6. Expand collaboration among P-12 education, higher education and workforce development
a. P-16 councils
b. Work with State Board of Education
c. Re-examine current College and Career Readiness Standards
7. Focus on faculty training and professional development
a. Training in cognitive development and teaching/learning sciences

21. Recommendations, cont. a. At least catch up with students
8. Embrace technology
a. At least catch up with students
b. MOOCs
c. Data and predictive analytics
d. Measure student learning
9. Increase and expand advising not only to focus on academic issues but financial issues as well
a. Expand and align on-line capabilities throughout educational pipeline

22. Recommendations, cont. 10. Be student focused
a. Student success is our most important goal